Torn Apart
by BlueSpiritFire1
Summary: Everyone thinks that Ryou was unconscious when the Pharaoh accessed his memories. Oh how wrong they were. How could anyone stay asleep when their soul was in so much pain? This is my alternate shorter version for the ending. YBxR. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Everyone thinks that Ryou was unconscious when the Pharaoh accessed his memories. Oh how wrong they were. How could anyone stay asleep when their soul was being tortured? This is my alternate version for the ending from Ryou's POV more often then not. Not nearly as sappy as the normal ending. I think...How about I just let you decide eh?

**WARNING: Has Spoliers for final episodes, like Yami's name...and i think that's about it.** Epic fail at warning.

**Diclaimer:** I Do not own Yugioh or any of the said characters in this story.

_This is used to show the mind-link, or in this case, Ring-Link._

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Confusion and Fear**

It had been silent at first, the buzzing in his ear. But it soon grew into a roar, like thousands of bees had swarmed over his entire body and wormed their way into his core. All he could hear was that incessant _buzzing!_ He wanted it to stop, to go away, but it grew louder and louder forcing him to get up. Finally his chocolate eyes opened. The buzzing ceased. Ryou was calm. Until he realised his face was mashed into an angular piece of rock.

_'Bloody Bakura! Where am I now!'_ He grumbled, trying to get up. He reached out and felt nothing. Ryou continued this blind groping method until he found sold ground. "Where am I?" he wondered looking around. By the feel of the material underneath him and the amount of light he was either underground or in a cave. The clothes he wore were heavier which told him he was wearing Bakura's black coat.

_Spirit. Bakura? Oi, Bakura you lazy dolt. Where the bloody hell am I? _Ryou shouted through his mind link, a sudden surge of anger and courage jolting through him. Suddenly he felt it.

Emptiness_. _

_Spirit? Are you there? Please answer me__. _He said, more nervous. Bakura was gone. He could fell the giant gaping hole in which his dark usually resided. Ryou was frightened. For the first time in 3 years the feeling of abandonment and utter loneliness returned to him. And Ryou didn't like it.

_Bakura? Please, are you there, can you hear me? If you can just give me a sign. I-I'm frightened. I know you said fear was a weakness, but I can't help it. You've always been there to keep my mind at ease. Please, just show me a sign. _he begged. He sounded pathetic, begging to nothing. But...Ryou could feel _something_. A sudden yellow glow from his neck brought his attention to the Ring. Maybe Bakura hadn't heard him, but the Ring had. And it pointed down the steps Ryou was currently sitting on, into the darkness. Gulping, he held the Ring and followed it, one hand to the rough stone wall.

* * *

When he reached the chamber below Ryou was shocked. The bodies of his friends were scattered on the floor. He ran to each of them to check their pulses, even Kaiba. He sighed in relief to find them all alive, just knocked out. He took the time to look around the room. It was small and unfurnished, the main wall adorned with two stone tablets, one being very worn away, and other large depictions of Egyptian gods. To his right was another doorway, but Ryou didn't pay any attention to it.

The better preserved of the stone slabs was calling to him. Upon it was a carving of Yami and... _'No WAY. Kaiba?'_ Ryou looked at the unmoving form of the said man and then back to the tablet. The looks were uncannily similar, not to mention the beast above him was Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was clear that the Pharaoh was the other man. No-one else had hair like that, well apart from Yugi, and his beast was the Dark Magician.

After further inspection Ryou found the tablet to have several areas which looked like they had been deliberately scratched out. Above the two fighting beasts was a carving that looked exactly like the Millennium Puzzle, the Eye that was on every item, staring at him, judging him. Surrounding it were very simple carvings of the three Gods, Osiris, Obelisk and Ra.

Ryou could not look any longer and so he turned his gaze to the other wall carvings and spent his time studying them, not knowing how he'd gotten to what he gathered to be Egypt, why he was in an underground tomb or when his friends would wake up.

But the biggest and most frightening question of all, one that Ryou dared to ask was, where was Bakura?

* * *

**Ok so this is gonna be a multi chapter story, but with really short chapters. I wrote the entire thing in one sleep depraved day. **

**Have no fear, all will be revealed eventually!**

**Please review, even if is to just ask for more f the story, i know it's really short.  
**

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, since people seemed to like it I'll put up the next one. ^^ This one is shorter than the others, but don't worry, they're not going to get any smaller.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters**

_This mean Mind-Link or Ring-Link_**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – I Feel Your Pain**

Ryou was sure it had been hours. It felt that way. Perhaps it was only a few minutes? He's finished looking through the wall carvings; he'd even gone into the other corridor. It branched off to other far smaller rooms. But never did he leave the bodies of his friends for too long, fearing they might wake up confused. And he was feeling lonely; they made him feel less lonely. He got a chance to study Kaiba, whom he rarely ever saw, and noticed with some degree of humour that his coat still managed to flare out a little, even when he wasn't moving. _'What is it? Made out of cardboard or something?'_ he swore he heard Bakura's bitter laugh._Bakura? Are you there? Please answer, please!_ Nothing.

"B-Bakura?" he said aloud, speaking for the first time since he had woken.

Nothing. He suddenly broke down, unable to continue his charade of peace. Such desolation tore him apart. Ryou sat on the floor in a corner and cried, clinging onto Bakura's cloak. It was the only thing he could still feel of him. That and the Ring. Sniffling he clutched it. It was cold and unresponsive when he pleaded for it to give him some hint of Bakura. Ryou sadly closed his eyes and leaned his head back onto the wall, now angry.

"Why won't you work damn it!" he shouted, holding the ring to his face. Suddenly it glowed. Ryou was bewildered for a moment, but before he could ask for anything a sudden aching in his chest sent him heaving, gasping for lung fills of air, as if he'd just emerged from a near drowning. After a few moments his breathing returned to normal.

"What the hell that that?" he shouted at the ring, needing something to vent his anger at. He received no reply, no blinding light or pain in his chest. Only silence.

Ryou was angry at the Ring, at Bakura, at everyone. Why did they leave without him? _'Why didn't he tell me what was going to happen?' 'Because he's a heartless bastard, that why!' _Part of him screamed. _'No! He wasn't all bad! I could feel it...Something was wrong. But he should've told me. I would've helped him...'_ Ryou thought, sobbing once more into the dark silence.

* * *

Ryou was napping. He needed a good rest. Unfortunately a searing heat woke him with a start. He screamed in pain, clutching his heart. It felt like he was burning alive. He closed his eyes and gasped for air once more. A sudden image filled his mind. Bakura was laying on a rock floor, eyes wide, mouth partly open in shock with scorch-marks on his clothes. He was different, but Ryou knew it was him.

"BAKURA!" he screamed in panic, despite the burning pain in his body. No...his _soul_. When he opened his eyes the pain stopped. Ryou was left shaking and confused. That was until he realised he was holding the Ring. _'It's our connection...From the looks of his clothes I'd say Bakura is in his own former body...which means he's in Ancient Egypt...and the only way to get there is...'_ Ryou's thoughts trailed off as his gaze settled on Yugi. Realisation dawned over Ryou and for once, even though it was selfish, Ryou wanted Yugi and the others to _fail_. If Bakura lost, Ryou would never see him again. Ryou would be all alone again, alone with the silence. It was cruel yes, but Ryou needed Bakura. Yugi had his own bunch of friends, and even though they acted like he was part of that little group, he knew he wasn't really welcome. He was the outcast, the omen of bad fortune.

_'Well, their bad fortune is my good luck.'_

_

* * *

_**Ok**** so sorry that one was so short. **

**The reason why Ryou couldn't feel Bakura earlier was because Mahad had the Ring, not Bakura. Therefore Ryou didn't feel the pain from the bear trap thingy. **

**Oh, and I know that Seto popped up later, but for the sake of this story lets just say he was already there.**

**Please review and enjoy :)**

**P.S. I have no idea what all these wierd little numbers are...  
**

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


	3. Chapter 3

**I decided to put up another chapter beacuse i can! Muahahah! Enjoy it anyway.**

**P.S. I think you're right earthluva, random numbers are just random. And slightly annoying O.o  
**

**Diclaimer: I own none of the Yugioh Characters.  
**

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**Chapter 3 **–** 'Unheard' Prayers**

Ryou tried several times to link with Bakura via the ring. He tried holding it and talking out loud and through the mind link, praying to every god that it would work. 

_Bakura, can you hear me? Maybe you can, maybe not. Please, if you can, hold onto the ring and please, respond. Please...it's too quiet down here. The others are just asleep. At least I used to be able to hear your voice, even if it was just to call me names. It was better than nothing... _

Ryou finished, crying again and he clutched onto the ring. 

_Bakura, please...I don't want you to go__.

* * *

_

Thief King Bakura was riding to Kul Elna. He'd gathered most of the items, but Zorc needed to be awoken soon. The Pharaoh's little gang of supporters had shown up, making things unnecessarily difficult. As he sped over the dunes towards the ruins of his home village the Ring was slapping against his bare torso. He ignored it at first, the small noises he would hear. The snippets of someone speaking, begging. Frowning he slowed to a trot, despite his urgency. Bakura noticed his ring glowing and held it. Suddenly the voice became clearer, like a radio finding the perfect frequency. It was the sound of very familiar sobbing. _'Ryou? What the-!' _

_Bakura, please...I don't want you to go._

The crying restarted for a few moments before Bakura could hear him speaking again. 

_You have to win Bakura, you have to. I hate the silence. You gave me someone to at least think about, to focus on. If you loose...I WON'T EVEN GET TO SAY GOODBYE!_

Ryou shouted. Bakura no longer had any doubt in his mind that this was his Hikari speaking back at the chamber. 

_I just wish I was there with you. But in a way, I was. I felt the drowning, and the burning. I felt it all. Your face...your face was so still!_

Ryou whispered. Bakura's eyes widened in horror as he realised that Ryou had seen him get attacked by Ra. 

_I think that the ring is our connection. You must have a copy in Ancient Egypt. Our mind-link is severed, believe me. I've tried so many times...But the only thing I seem to be receiving is your pain. When I saw you burnt I could tell you couldn't scream. So I screamed for you. It felt good to scream. Maybe I should do it more often? If Yugi comes back I'll be screaming at him until my head explodes, that's for sure._

Ryou sounded so desperate, so helpless.

_Even if I am talking to an empty ring, it feels better then the quiet. The underground is so dark and silent. I wonder how buried people feel, being boxed in by so much earth... I would hate to be buried alive. This chamber just makes me feel so vulnerable. I never felt like that when you were here. But that tablet...it's calling me. I can't leave it. I'm hoping you'll come back, not them. For once I hope they all lose. It's selfish I know, but it's not like they'll be lonely. They'll have each other for company. But I'll have no one...Father doesn't even realise I'm alive. You were the only one who noticed me. It was probably only to further your goal, but you still knew I was there. Thank you, Bakura. I really hope I'll be able to see you again, even if the world would be ending. If you really are listening, which is highly doubtful, I think the ring should help you communicate with me. But only if you want to! I cannot distract you from succeeding. I just wish you'd told me everything. I would've helped you. I wouldn't have made everything so bloody painstaking. Maybe then we could've spent less time fighting and more time getting to know each other? I don't know anymore. The only thing I'm certain in is that I need you to come back. I don't think I'll be able to go on if I don't have that voice in the back of my head telling me to get my ass out of bed, or be whisked off to new a different places. It was a bit like a weird holiday sometimes. I must say, waking up on hard steps with my face mashed to a brick was a new experience._

Ryou chuckled before he sighed heavily. 

_Just come back Bakura, please. I miss you._

Ryou fell silent and the ring stopped glowing. Bakura closed his eyes and bit his lip. Ryou missed him. Ryou wanted _him_ to come back, not the Ra-damned Pharaoh and his buddies, but _HIM._ Bakura, the one who'd treated him so badly. A tear strolled down Bakura's face. If Ryou was receiving the pain that he was getting, he couldn't afford to be so careless. Even though he knew that Zorc was ultimately in control, Bakura could be a little more careful. Ryou deserved none of the pain he was getting. _'And what will happen if I fail?'_ It was always a possibility, failure, no matter what Zorc seemed to think. If he failed, then what would Ryou feel? What would _he_ feel? Bakura opened his eyes, his eyes hard as steel, his will strong as diamond. He kicked the horse beneath him into action and raced towards Kul Elna. _'I cannot lose.' _

_

* * *

_**Ok so...yeah. tell me what you think. I know Bakura was OOC, but for the sake of one story, i command him to be!**

**Sorry if the underlining was annoying to read :/ **

**Please R&R!**

**I'm betting more bloody random numbers will pop up under this message v.v  
**

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, now THIS chapter most definantly continas OOC Theif King, but I say because Bakura was being controlled by Zorc...we don't actually _know_ what he really would've been like. Sure he would've had some psychopathic tendancies, but I take this opportunity to say how _I _beleive he would've acted. **

**Be warned of sadness and grief. You have been warned.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from yugioh, including the characters.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Pain Beyond Death**

Ryou hadn't let go of the Millennium Ring once since he'd last attempted speaking to Bakura. He had a feeling that perhaps Bakura had heard him, even a little. The Ring had been glowing quite brightly at the time. It felt good to get all that off his chest and he meant every word. He hoped that they'd all be stuck there. Well, he didn't really have anything against Kaiba, so maybe not _all_ of them, but he had to have Bakura return. Bakura was the other half of his soul. He didn't even want to think of losing that. Time passed as Ryou moved around the room, occasionally prodding some of the unconscious people to amuse himself. Ryou finally settled at the base of the centred stone tablet. He now found the gaze of the eye to be hypnotic. Suddenly he felt it. More pain from Bakura. Ryou screamed as he felt the life being leeched out of his very soul, like his body was being sifted away. His scream was short lived when the pain abruptly stopped. Ryou was panting, sweat covering his skin.

"Show me Bakura!" he commanded the ring. He closed his eyes and was met with a sight that chilled him to the core. Bakura's clothes lay at the base of the Millennium Tablet, empty. Sand was scattered all around them and farther below stood Yami and some of his Ancient Egyptian allies. Ryou began to shake in anger. He wanted to destroy them all. He bellowed in rage and kicked the stone sheet in front of him, not caring about the pain. He gave each motionless body a good kick too. They hadn't even been there but Ryou felt they deserved it. Ryou sank to his knees and numbly stared at the floor. 'Why did he go? I didn't even say goodbye...'

Before he could shed a tear, the ring glowed brighter than before. Ryou's eyes opened wide as he felt a little bit of new strength returning to him. 

_Bakura? Are you back?_ he said, using the mind-link. After getting nothing he used the ring_._

_Oh please tell me you're alive Bakura! Please! I've already seen you die so many times before._ Then Ryou's heart skipped a beat_. _

_I'm here Ryou. I'm back._ Ryou released his breath as he heard Bakura's voice through the Ring, releif flowing through his mind.

_B-Bakura! Oh I missed you so much! I saw the clothes and the pile of sand and I-I, oh God I was so scared!_ __

_I know. I heard what everything you said earlier. I'm sorry I never told you what was going on. I'm sorry for everything I've done, and that I have to do._ Ryou was confused. 

_What do you mean?_

_It's not over yet. Zorc is not yet released and I've just been told how I have to summon him..._

_

* * *

_

Back in Ancient Egypt Bakura was standing on the Millennium Tablet, all 7 items in place. _I'm sorry Ryou. For Zorc to be summoned...I must sacrifice myself__. _ Ryou sat in terrified silence as Bakura stood on the tablet waiting for it to rise from the earth.

_No...NO! You can't Bakura! You just can't!_ Bakura could hear the tears in Ryou's voice.

_I'm sorry Ryou. I didn't think this would be required of me. Maybe if you remove the ring you won't feel the pain._ Ryou sniffled.

_No. We suffer together, no matter how painful__. _Ryou said stiffly. Bakura admired how determined Ryou was, to feel such great pain. 

_I'll make them all know how much I hate them. When I scream, I'll make them feel the despair and pain that I have. I'll make them know how it feels to have your soul ripped in two__._ Ryou said bitterly, anger and pain twisting his features as he cried freely in the chamber. 

_I'm sorry Ryou._ Bakura whispered.

_Don't be. It's not your fault._ They could both feel the beginning of their miserable seperation. 

_I love you Bakura._ Tears trickled down the Thief King's face as the Millennium Tablet rose into the sky.

_I love you too Ryou, no matter how it may have seemed. I always will my sweet hikari._ Ryou only had time to shed one more tear before it began. It numbed him at first, like pins and needles swarming all through his body.

The pain suddenly turned into a sharp painful jabbing, like someone had stabbed them both with a board of nails then pulled across their skin and ripped into them. Ryou's free hand flew to his mouth in shock as he cried, trying to fend off the pain. The nails suddenly turned into white hot pokers, burning and searing their insides. Bakura was bearing the torture better than Ryou.

It broke his heart to hear Ryou scream like that. Ryou was clenching the Ring so tightly his fist was shaking as his nails bit into his palms. Just when he thought his lungs were around to burst he found the strength to keep screaming, his hate and determination urging him forward. Bakura couldn't scream anymore as he was bathed in a red light. It was too painful. He could feel the final act of pain approaching and Ryou's screaming getting louder.

Everyone heard it.

All of those who were unconscious in the room, those who were witnessing the resurrection of the Dark God, even Zorc himself heard it. And everyone knew it was Ryou. He wasn't just screaming out of physical pain. He was releasing all his pent-up rage that had been building over the years. Ryou was screaming at Yami, Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan...all of them.

As the pain reached its peak Ryou's brain pounded against his skull and his lungs were at breaking point. The burning intensified as it moved through his heart. 

_I'll find you again Bakura, if it's the last thing I do!_ Ryou bellowed through the Ring-link. 

_I don't doubt it for a second. I love you Ryou._

_I know you do._ He replied, his voice getting fainter and fainter.

The last image Bakura saw of Ryou was him on the floor on the old chamber on his knees, holding onto the ring for dear life and screaming, tears flowing. Then Ryou and Bakura were separated and any form of link they had was gone. Ryou's cry ended to be replaced by an eerie silence. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed, the Millennium Ring rolling out of his hands. He didn't care the outcome of the battle between Zorc and the Pharaoh. Bakura was gone. The world no longer mattered to him.

He closed his eyes and succumbed to the darkness, half hoping he would die, just to see Bakura again.

* * *

**I just realised how flipping sad this fic is. **

**Remind me to stick to sappy ones with happy endings, unless i do a good job.**

**Anyway as always, please R&R. **

**I welcome comments and suggestions, even though I'm stubborn and probably won't use them. It's always good to know what I can improve upon. ^^  
**

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


	5. Chapter 5

**WARNING: Ahead lies some sadness. so... please don't kill me! *hides behind a wall* may contian OOC Ryou. And a whole lot of sad... But everything works out ^^  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh or any of their characters.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Leaving it All Behind**

When Ryou came to he realised he was laying on something soft. His entire frame was gently rocky. Indeed it felt like the whole world was. Looking around Ryou realised he was on a boat, sleeping on a bed. Slowly rising he realised something was missing. Patting his clothes he began to panic.

"Where is it!" he shouted franticly. Just then someone entered his room.

"Ryou? Are you alright?" a soft voice asked

"NO! Where's the Ring! I need it!" he shouted, panic evident in his eyes. His frightened brown orbs met with amethyst and he became enraged.

"Where is it Yugi! Tell me!" he shouted, striding over and shaking the smaller boy. For a moment he looked so much like Bakura it was scary.

"Ryou! Stop!" Someone else shouted. Before he realised what was happening several people were restraining him.

"It's your fault he's gone! All of you! He left because of you!" Ryou screamed, kicking and thrashing about. By now everyone had come to see what was happening, even the Kaiba's.

"It's all your fault!" he said to no-one in particular before collapsing and bursting into tears. Everyone was silent as Ryou cried. After a little bit he'd calmed down. "Why couldn't he stay? There must've been another way." He whispered. It was obvious to him that the Pharaoh had won.

"Where is he? Come on. I want to talk to your Pharaoh buddy!" Everyone turned silent and looked away awkwardly.

"What?" Ryou asked angrily.

"Atem's gone." Ryou looked up at Joey startled.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...After Zorc was defeated, He and Yugi duelled. If Yugi won, Atem passed on to the Afterlife. If Atem won he stayed..."

"And Yugi won." Ryou finished off, feeling angrier than before. Ryou stood.

"Why did you take the Ring from me?" he hissed. "Because, we needed all the items for him to be able to pass on." Yugi said quietly.

"So what? You just decided to snatch the ring away from me while I slept?" Ryou seethed.

"Yes!" Tea shouted before clamping her mouth shut with her hand. Ryou snarled and resisted the urge to leap over and maul her.

"You had absolutely _no_ right." He seethed, voice harsh and deadly.

"We had to Ryou, time was running out for him!" Yugi pleaded.

"How DARE you!" he roared. Everyone was amazed Ryou could produce such a loud voice.

"Where is it now? Answer me!"

"When Atem moved on, the temple collapsed. They're all gone." Yugi said without emotion. Ryou began to tremble violently and he ran into the crowd at the door. They all leapt out of the way in time as he raced past them. He needed out, NOW. Ryou finally spotted the deck door and flung himself into it, splintering the wood and breaking it. He stumbled onto the deck, looking around frantically and ran to the back of the semi-large cruise ship, the black coat that belonged to Bakura still on him and swirling out behind him.

He could hear the footsteps behind him. "Ryou, wait!" Yugi shouted frantically and Ryou reached the end of the boat. He turned and stopped.

"WHAT!" Ryou barked.

"Ryou, just stop, please. Why are you so angry?" Ryou was silent as the dark seas swirled around the boat.

"You just took away the only link I ever had to him." He looked up, the gleam of unshed tears in his eyes. "Why else?"

"You mean Bakura? B-But he was-"

"NO! He was never evil!" Ryou shouted, anticipating his next word. "That was Zorc. Bakura was never evil. He was being manipulated, but my Bakura was not evil." He said softly as his tears splashed onto the deck. They were all taken aback. 'My Bakura'? What did that mean?

"Ryou, I'm sorry. We couldn't have saved the items. They were the first to fall into the abyss."

"Did you say goodbye to 'Atem'?" Ryou asked quietly. Yugi was afraid what outcome his response would get from Ryou.

"Yes. We did." Seto said, surprising everyone.

"That's good. At least you all got to give him a proper farewell." He looked up and stared into Yugi's eyes. "At least one of us got to say goodbye the way we should've. But know this Yugi. I hate you." Yugi looked so hurt he was on the verge of tears.

"I hate you because you were able to smile at him. I hate you because you had the chance to talk to him, face to face. I hate you because you had such a close bond with your other half. I hate you because I had none of those things. I hate you because you have the ability to fall back on your friends when times are down. I hate you because you'll never feel the pain of having your soul cut in half with a white hot dagger. I hate you because you took the Ring, the only thing I had to remember him by. I hate you because you got to make sure Atem was sent to the Afterlife, whereas I could only make sure Bakura didn't suffer alone. But you are not the one I hate most Yugi." He said softly, shaking his head.

"I hate that creature, Zorc Necrophades. It ruined everything. It made Bakura die when he didn't deserve to. It made him a cruel dark twisted thing, when he was nothing of the sort. It tore us in two. It killed us both, over and over until we finally could take no more. It ruined his life and mine. It made a deal with a child who'd lost his whole world and sworn for revenge. It used and tormented him. It destroyed us both. That is who I hate the most Yugi. Not you. Perhaps envy is a better word to describe how I feel towards you. Tell me, how did Atem pass on?" Yugi gulped before answering.

"After the Ceremonial Duel a stone gateway opened. He passed through it and into the light to meet his friends from his past."

"I see. Well, Bakura died in agony. An agony that was too great for him to express, so I did that for him. He couldn't scream, he could only tell me that he-" Ryou choked on his own sobs when he remembered the last time he heard Bakura's soothing voice. "-That he loved me through the link in the Millennium Ring! I saw him engulfed in a red blast before my chest felt like someone had removed my heart. Zorc severed us apart to serve his own greedy purpose. He didn't even succeed! My precious Bakura died for nothing!" he hissed.

"And now the only link I thought might be able to help me find him is gone, and you asked me why I was so angry. Tell me Yugi, wouldn't you be angry too? Wouldn't you want to scream at the Gods and lay waste to the earth if that happened to you?" Ryou shouted before his face took on an eeirily serence composure.

"I have no reason to be here anymore. Bakura is gone. The Ring is gone. And soon I will be gone." He added calmly. Yugi's eyes widened and he made a move for Ryou. Only now did they realise that he was ready to jump into the churning inky black waves.

"Don't try and stop me. He's waiting for me Yugi, I can feel him. He needs my help one more time, before Ammit devours him. You helped your other soul pass; now I must help mine. If there had been some way that Bakura would've been spared and Zorc defeated I would gladly stay. But there is nothing here for me. Bakura is waiting, but he cannot wait too long, for Anubis is growing impatient." Ryou smiled

"I can hear him, begging for more time. I cannot allow him to beg. He's better than that. I will be judged with him, and none of you can stop me. Do not try to save me, this is my own choice. I leave you all with these parting words. Enjoy your happy lives while you can. Nothing in this world lasts forever." Ryou smiled blissfully and climbed over the railing. He ignored everyone's panicked screams and jumped off the back of the boat. He fell gracefully, the coat that was once Bakura's billowing out behind him like a magnificent tail. They half expected him to grow wings and fly away like some great bird. But that never happened.

The water wasn't as cold as he'd been expecting, but still cold enough to numb him, to stop him moving from shock. Ryou released all the air in his lungs in a flurry of bubbles and soon he was sinking. He was glad not to hear any splashing or attempts of rescue and as Ryou ignored his bodies' urgent pleas for air, he could feel his soul. It was eager to face death. Bakura was waiting for him, he knew it. Ryou blacked out soon after he hit the water, not hearing anything other than the sounds of the ocean.

* * *

***ducks from the hurling stones* Please don't hate me! I had to! It's the only way for eventual happiness!**

**Please R&R. I will gracefully accept flames...and flaming objects, but everything works out in the end!**

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! NOTHING *sobs* it's true!**

**Sorry if I got any of the Afterlife judging wrong :S I'm not exactly and expect in that field.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Peace**

"You must wait, please! I can feel it, something's going to happen! I'm not ready to pass on yet." Bakura pleaded. Anubis sighed.

"Alright, another few minutes, but then I am afraid you will have to face the scales. We cannot delay things any farther." A minute ticked by before the sound of running footsteps approached. Bakura looked at the dark tunnel behind him, curious as to who might be approaching. Anubis lifted his head in surprise at first, then a smile.

"It seems you were right to delay your judgment. Here comes someone who could change everything." Bakura was confused. _'_

_Not the Pharaoh! Oh please not him! Anyone but him!'_ suddenly he could see a pale outline. _'I know that figure...No...Is it really him?'_ Suddenly Ryou emerged from the darkness and ran straight for him.

"Ryou!"

"Bakura!" they both cried running to each other and meeting in the middle in a longing embrace. They both cried into each other's shoulders before finally pulling back to look at the other.

"What are you doing here Ryou?"

"Didn't I say that I'd find you again, even if it was the last thing I do?" Ryou teased, smiling.

"Y-You died? How?"

"I think I slipped off a boat." Ryou said cheekily.

"Ryou...you didn't have to die just to find me. Why would you do that?"

"Because, there was nothing for me back there. I knew you were about to be judged, I could feel it."

"What about Yugi and Atem and all the rest?"

"Yugi helped Atem move over to the Afterlife. He's gone now. The ring...it fell into the earth after that. They just took it from me when I was sleeping. I was so angry at them, for doing it, but then I realised that I was free. Free to come to you. You need my help. Zorc has manipulated you so much..." Ryou said quietly, stroking Bakura's face.

"I love you too much to see you get eaten by Ammit. If we fail, then I will go down with you." Ryou said sternly. Bakura closed his eyes and rested his face in Ryou's palm.

"Can you feel it?" he asked, "Our souls are connecting again."

"I feel it." Ryou murmured. And indeed he could. A warmth was settling over his mind and sewing up the giant gaping hole in his heart. It was like everything was as it should be. Anubis smiled again before speaking.

"Come, it is now time to weigh your souls, once two, but now one combined." He said, turning and walking towards the Hall of Two Truths. Ryou and Bakura followed, sticking close to each other. Ryou shuddered when he saw Ammit sitting by the Scales of Ma'at calmly watching the two enter the Hall.

Her reptilian eyes followed them while she stretched her sharp jaguar claws and her very out of place hippopotamus tail wagged in excitement. Ryou shrank back into Bakura as she opened her maw to expose her deadly crocodilian teeth. Behind her stood the god Thoth, ready to record the results of their soul being weighed against the feather of Ma'at.

Anubis stepped to the side when the two stood before the Scales. As they began to tip precariously to each side, trying to weigh Ryou and Bakura's soul against the Feather of Truth. Ryou and Bakura squeezed each other's hands and prayed that they would be allowed through. The tense minutes that followed were nerve-wracking. Anubis suddenly coughed.

"Would you not like to see the results for yourselves?" He asked, hinting. Ryou was the first to peek open an eye. What he saw amazed him.

"Bakura...look!" he whispered. At first Bakura was too nervous, but eventually he opened his eyes which widened immediately in shock. Their soul was the same weight as the feather of Ma'at. It was a miracle. They heard Ammit hiss in displeasure while Thoth recorded it all, not even blinking. Anubis approached the two stunned beings.

"You have passed the Judgment. You are now both free to continue into Osiris." He said, snapping them out of their stupor. Bakura looked at Ryou and beamed a huge smile at him.

"You did it! You did it Ryou!" he shouted joyously, picking up Ryou and spinning around the room with him. They both laughed in delight before Bakura stopped spinning and put Ryou down. "No Bakura, we both did it. I always knew there was good in you." Ryou said, still smiling. They pressed foreheads and held each other in their arms, enjoying the peace that had finally settled over them as they basked in the light that washed over them from the gates of Osiris.

"I love you Bakura."

"And I love you Ryou, my precious angel." They kissed in the shining white light of the Afterlife before taking each other's hand and walking into it. Ryou turned and waved at the Gods in the Hall of Two Truths. Anubis smiled and nodded his head in farewell. Even Thoth took the time to lift his arm and wave, his eyes never leaving his papyrus scroll. Ryou rested his head on Bakura's shoulder, his body, mind, soul and heart all in a state of pure bliss. Bakura leaned his own head atop Ryou's fuzzy white mane and dropped a kiss on Ryou's head. Together they walked into the white, and with a flash, they were gone, now in Osiris where they would remain so together until the end of time.

* * *

**Didn't I say it would all work out? ^^**

**Ok, well, i really hope you liked it. I know it was short, and i'm not used to writing short storys, but hey, at least I actually FINISHED it**

**ACHEIVMENT!**

**Please R&R. All comments are welcome. I know they weren't always in character, but I had to! I like the way I ended it ^^ **

085de4cc-6944-47cc-9697-ba0af95e53bd

1.03.01


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